Israel Says Hezbollah Tunnels Destroyed in South Lebanon as 4.1-Magnitude Tremor Shakes Area

Israel said Thursday it destroyed a network of key tunnels built by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, an operation that coincided with a 4.1-magnitude tremor in the area.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz described the underground complex as “strategic terrorist infrastructure that was built over two decades, with Iranian funding and planning.” The operation, they said, “completes the achievement of operational control over the Ali al-Taher ridge -- above and below ground.”

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the 4.1-magnitude tremor after Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israel carried out a “massive explosion” on the ridge in the Nabatieh region, “causing tremors and a powerful rumble.” AFP journalists in southern Lebanon also said they heard huge explosions Thursday evening.

“We were sitting there and everything shook,” Joelle Fares, who recently moved to Majayoun, told AFP.

The Israeli military said the Hezbollah infrastructure stretched for more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) and contained dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles and drones, as well as machine guns, dozens of anti-tank missiles and hundreds of mines and explosive devices. The underground compound also included a command center for Hezbollah’s “Badr” unit, the army said.

A military official told AFP that some militants who had operated in the ridge area abandoned it, while others were “eliminated by aerial strikes and artillery fire.”

Israel announced last week that it had captured the Ali al-Taher ridge, a position whose elevation and tunnel network have made it a focal point in the conflict. The demolition announced Thursday appeared aimed at ensuring Hezbollah cannot quickly restore an underground presence there — a signal that Israel intends to retain military leverage even as diplomatic efforts continue.

Hezbollah opened a front in March in support of its backer Iran, drawing Lebanon deeper into the broader Middle East war. Violence had eased after an understanding between Iran and the United States in June, followed by an agreement between Lebanon and Israel. But strikes have intensified again in recent days, fraying hopes that the pause could hold.

During negotiations sponsored by the United States, Washington proposed that the Lebanese army take control of the Ali al-Taher ridge, but Hezbollah refused, a source close to the parties told AFP. The impasse left the ridge as both a military target and a test of whether Lebanon’s state institutions can assert control in the south.

Beirut authorities say Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,300 people since March, and Israeli forces continue to occupy a so-called “security zone” in southern Lebanon. With the tunnels destroyed and the ridge in Israeli hands, the next phase is likely to hinge on whether the current surge in strikes hardens into a wider campaign or forces the parties back toward another fragile arrangement.